Abstract
The most critical factor influencing the survival of an extremity with arterial injury is the time interval between injury and arterial repair.
The majority of arterial injuries from civilian trauma can be repaired by direct anastomosis. When a vascular replacement is needed, a plastic prosthesis or an autogenous vein graft is preferable to an arterial homograft.
An injured artery should be ligated only when the additional time required for arterial repair would jeopardize the life of the patient.